Award of Arms Issues

[yumehime]

OK, an acquaintance of mine at Warriors and Warlords got quite upset about a Barron being brought to her household camp without warning during a party. I thought she over reacted on the matter of observing niceties for royalty in a very informal setting. Lets face it, many a royal has had their fill of politics by nightfall and just wants to relax.

Then I learned that despite her hard work, she, like myself, got completely overlooked for an award of arms. I remember well the frustration, then the downright indignity of being called to court with a host of CHILDREN to be given a mass dragon's treasure ALL TOGETHER despite the fact that I had for years been running circles around the adults of the group to make sure things needed at an event got done(I left in angry tears given many of the 8 year old just goofed around all event playing with my little sister rather than having done really anything worth note), so yes, I feel her pain. Being publicly told that I was no better than children who were only at an event because their parents were short a babysitter when I was working from pre-event planing to site token assembly, feast prep, feast cooking, feast table and decor,feast serving, server training,feast cleanup, then teaching dance after was more than ANY fifteen year old girl can take with grace after slaving at every event for 3 years running, and there were often 2-3 events per month. In my case, my family in real life got the matter handled, so I am taken care of, but I feel like I need to do something for her.

Except I don't know how to do that. I asked my mom, but it was so many years ago that I may be registered as getting my AoA in Midrealm and not Northsheild. She can't remember clearly whats needed.

And though this girl has a household, they are basically a bunch of drinking buddies who do little with politics, or even research, so they will not be much help. So if not me, then who?

So, what DO I do?

[Deleted]

Jul 27, 2013 2:49:47 GMT -5 yumehime said:

So, what DO I do?

This is the best attitude. If you see something that needs doing, and you can do it, taking responsibility for getting it done is the grand SCA tradition.

Your first step is probably using the Northshield award recommendation form. That's at www.northshield.org/orderofprecedence/Recommendation.aspx but it's behind a login. They'll probably want to know who you are and why you think she deserves the award, but it sounds like you already have a good feeling for both of those things.

If you don't have a login on the site either, send email to the King and Queen with your recommendation. You have as much right as anybody in the kingdom to recommend somebody directly. Official email addresses are on the page www.northshield.org/Royalty/Current.aspx . For good measure, you could also send email to the Prince and Princess, and maybe your local Baron and Baroness. In my experience, royalty love giving awards and know their eyes can't be everywhere, so they appreciate the help recognizing people.

The next step would be politicking. Start mentioning to other people that you've noticed her hard work and are surprised she doesn't have an AoA yet. For instance, if you see her working in the kitchen, mention it to other cooks and maybe the head cook (this may have to wait until the next event). Other people may not even realize she doesn't have an AoA. Be prepared to physically point her out and give her full name. I know I'm bad about matching names and faces, so a little help here might be necessary for some people. Some people might be surprised if you approach them "out of the blue", but if you make it clear you're trying to see somebody else get recognized they will understand eventually.

Don't be afraid to politic with peers. If this person is doing service, point her out to a Pelican. If you're not sure when might be a good time, start signing up at peoples' vigils to speak to them then. If you need to be someplace else and can't wait at the vigil, tell them where you'll be and they should come get you. New peers enjoy exercising their new influence, so asking a boon of them during their vigil isn't out of place, in my opinion.

Also, don't be afraid to go all the way to the top. If the royalty is sitting in state at an event, ask to speak briefly with them. Again, you have as much right as anyone. If time constraints and prioritizing "more important people" bump you too far down the list, try again at the next event. Coronation isn't a bad event for this.

Lastly, try really hard not to get frustrated. I see this frustration at all ages and at all award levels (and sometimes in the mirror). It can be justly earned in some cases , but it doesn't help anything so why waste the energy? Many organizations don't even have mechanisms in place for rewarding hard work the way the SCA does, and people work for decades keeping things going without recognition. Sometimes the SCA's machine needs to be oiled and thumped lightly with a mallet before it grinds into action, though. Still, it's our silly old beast of a machine and we love it.

[yumehime]

Thanks for the information and tips.

Now I will see if I can organize a small army, since my voice alone could be lost in a crowd, but many voices are harder to loose.

I will share this with all mutual friends and see what I can make happen now that I know how.

[Saionji Shonagon]

You shouldn't need an army. Or politicking for anything lower than a peerage. ANYONE can write an award recommendation. In fact, if you're not recommending your worthy friends, you're being a slacker. ;-D
Check your kingdom website - there's probably a boilerplate email set up for the purpose that you can send to the sitting royalty.

Now, if you happen to think someone may be peerage quality, THAT'S when you find a member of that order and tell them your thoughts. Peers can't divulge what goes on in their councils, so they may not confirm or deny whether the person is on their radar, but it never hurts to say, "So and so is doing great work in X. I hope you'll consider looking at it."

As for whether or not you or anyone else you're looking to recommend have an award history, search for the Order of Precedence in whatever kingdom/kingdoms applicable and have a look.

[Mega Zenjirou Yoshi]

Age, sadly, can be a factor in getting recognition.

There are those who think awards are only for those of legal age.
Back when dinosaurs roamed the known world, I received my AoA at 14. I remember sharing crash space with a laurel, not long after that, who the night before the event began, said basically that, that those under 18, should not get awards.
The next night, she had changed her tune.

Prove them wrong, and be an advocate for others who do the same.

Oh, and be sure to take some time to enjoy yourself. Don't be burnt out at 16 like I was.

As Saijon-Sensei says "it's our SCA, too." That applies to minors as well as Nihon-jin.

[yumehime]

Very true, punkelf. However when you are 3rd gen SCA and have an aunt who got her AoA at 13, it gets easy to lose sight of the fact that newer players may not still have the attitude that they did when she got noticed, among other things. my second to last boars head, I had to get in the face of a brutal authenticity nazi who had the nerve to verbally accost MY newbies for being in mundanes while waiting for mom to arrive with loner garb. He seemed to forget that a mere 17 years did not give him the right. He was told off with enthusiasm the moment I recovered from my shock over him forgetting our duty as seasoned players to EDUCATE. The irony is he suddenly became the most panicked sort of apologetic chivalrous in his tone when I pointed out that in MY society of 25 year, any were welcome to come and ask questions and be treated with respect, and that if this society had forgotten that, then I wasn't sure I wanted to continue to associate with them.

And I did slow down, mostly going for fun rather than because I volunteered for responsibility now, happy with my point and stone and researching for my own satisfaction and not to impress.

And I have known 8 year old kids worth recognition for there work, so I will be keeping watch for them as well. Some of us kids are just as hard working and enthusiastic as any adult(more so then some), and I would be a fool to forget that.

[Li Guang Ming]

If you are playing with your hand out instead of your hand up, you may want to reconsider why you are playing at all.

Li Guang Ming

[Deleted]

Aug 2, 2013 10:56:50 GMT -5 Li Guang Ming said:

If you are playing with your hand out instead of your hand up, you may want to reconsider why you are playing at all.

This is sage advice, but Yumehime's hand is extended to indicate another's worthiness.

[Li Guang Ming]

Yumehime stated, "Then I learned that despite her hard work, she, like myself, got completely overlooked for an award of arms."

We work hard at what we love, reward or not.

Li Guang Ming

[yumehime]

In a perfect world we are perfectly Buddhist about it, however we live in an imperfect world as flawed humans still ruled in part by ego. Being acknowledged still matters to the heart, and as volunteers, it is not unreasonable to expect one to volunteer to say "Thank you." now and then.

If we are practical about it, that is the reason awards are such a big deal. They won't get you a great deal of money, and many of us don't even got to court regularly, so it won't get you much fame, but having the kingdom say that they noticed and value your time holds a value all it's own.

[Ishikawa Ayame]

I was 'overlooked' for years for an AoA. I never really worried about it. I just enjoyed the SCA. It turns out everyone assumed since I had been around forever that I already had one.

If you feel someone you know needs recognition then fill out the appropriate recommendation form.

[Ishikawa Yoshimasa]

perhaps that is something of an Ishikawa curse Ayame. I played approximately 18 years before someone realized I did not have an AoA and had me summoned to court.